12/05/2011

Cultural and Creative Industries
Key to smart and sustainable growth in Europe

By Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid MEP

The unlocked potential of cultural and creative industries

2.6% of GDP, 5 million jobs, 600 billion euros turnover per year, continuous development despite the crisis: cultural and creative industries have strong economic potential that remains widely unexploited.

The dual nature - economic and cultural - of these industries make them a lever for long-term, intelligent and inclusive growth in Europe. Not only do they have economic assets, but they also feed and enrich European cultural diversity, contributing to social cohesion, the attractiveness of the Member States and the cultural influence of the EU in the world.

Harnessing opportunities

It is time to instil, at European level, a real own dynamic that will liberate their potential and encourage their development.

I have proposed a range of ideas to support the growth of these industries and to help them fully benefit from the opportunities brought by the digital revolution.

Education at the core of the strategy

On the one hand, we must encourage creative talent from the earliest age, raise awareness of culture amongst young people and develop partnerships between universities and the private sector; and on the other hand, we must train those working in the cultural sector in new technologies and entrepreneurial skills, stimulate the sharing of good practices and the transmission of know-how.

Adapting copyright to the digital era

The current system for the acquisition of author's rights and licences is too fragmented and too complicated: we must adapt our regulatory framework to facilitate legal access to legal online content.

Protecting innovation

Intellectual property is a precious good. If it is looted, it will disappear. It is therefore of crucial importance that everyone becomes aware of the harmful effects of piracy and counterfeiting for innovation and for our economy. We must show not only responsibility, but also imagination, for creation to be remunerated and to raise awareness among consumers. It is also urgent to protect our culture outside EU borders, through international and trade agreements, be it at the WTO (World Trade Organisation), the G20 or the World International Property Organisation (WIPO).

Encourage mobility of artists

The EU must work on the creation of a European statute for artists that allows them to benefit from satisfactory working conditions and social protection throughout Europe.

Easier purchase, distribution and circulation of works

Public effort is necessary to stimulate creation - adapting the tax system and putting in place a reduced VAT rate for cultural goods on physical and online media, helping the transition towards digital content (such as libraries) and infrastructure (like cinemas) in order to strengthen Internet security and consumers' trust.

Finding funding

Investors are often quite reluctant when it comes to financing small SMEs in this sector. We ask for an optimal use of the opportunities offered by public financing - and particularly the cohesion policy's structural funds - to encourage local projects acting in favour of innovation and increasing the attractiveness of the Member States. Financial circles should be familiarised with the potential of these industries potential so as to promote access to financing and find innovative and intelligent systems of risk-sharing.

Creativity and culture must be considered as essential in our policies and in our lives.

What now?

My proposals were adopted by an overwhelming majority in the European Parliament on Thursday 12 May 2011.

About the Author:
Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2009. She comes from South-West France, close to the Spanish border. Ever since she joined the European Parliament, she has been very active within the Parliament's Culture and Education and Regional Development Committees. She was spokesperson for the EPP Group on the European Heritage Label, awarded to European Heritage sites.